Observations on the Spring Migration and Behavior of Gray Whales near Pachena Point, British Columbia

The Murrelet ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Gordon Hart
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Gray Whales ◽  
And Behavior

Migration and Feeding of the Gray Whale (Eschrichtius gibbosus)

1962 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 815-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon C. Pike
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Chukchi Sea ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Gulf Of Alaska ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Visual Contact ◽  
Gray Whales ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
The Bering Sea

Observations of gray whales from the coasts of British Columbia, Washington, and Alaska are compared with published accounts in order to re-assess knowledge of migration and feeding of the American herd. Source of material is mainly from lighthouses and lightships.The American herd of gray whales retains close contact with the shore during migration south of Alaska. Off Washington and British Columbia the northward migration begins in February, ends in May, and is at a peak during the first two weeks in April; the southward migration occurs in December and January, and is at a peak in late December. Northward migrants stop occasionally to rest or feed; southward migrants are travelling faster and appear not to stop to rest or feed during December and January. Gray whales seen off British Columbia, sometimes in inside protected waters, from June through October, probably remain in this area throughout the summer and fall months.Available evidence suggests that gray whales retain contact with the coast while circumscribing the Gulf of Alaska, enter the Bering Sea through eastern passages of the Aleutian chain, and approach St. Lawrence Island by way of the shallow eastern part of the Bering Sea. Arriving off the coast of St. Lawrence Island in May and June the herd splits with some parts dispersing along the Koryak coast and some parts continuing northward as the ice retreats through Bering Strait. Gray whales feed in the waters of the Chukchi Sea along the Siberian and Alaskan coasts in July, August and September. Advance of the ice through Bering Strait in October initiates the southern migration for most of the herd. In summering areas, in northern latitudes, gray whales feed in shallow waters on benthic and near-benthic organisms, mostly amphipods.There is no evidence to indicate that gray whales utilize ocean currents or follow the same routes as other baleen whales in their migrations. Visual contact with coastal landmarks appear to aid gray whales in successfully accomplishing the 5000-mile migration between summer feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas and winter breeding grounds in Mexico.Reconstruction of the migration from all available data shows that most of the American herd breeds and calves in January and February, migrates northward in March, April and May, feeds from June through October, and migrates southward in November and December.

MARINE DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOR OF JUVENILE AND ADULT MARBLED MURRELETS OFF SOUTHWEST VANCOUVER ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA: APPLICATIONS FOR MONITORING

The Condor ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
SARAH N. P. WONG ◽  
ROBERT A. RONCONI ◽  
ALAN E. BURGER ◽  
BOB HANSEN
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Marbled Murrelets ◽  
And Behavior

STUDIES OF WATERFOWL IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: PINTAIL

1944 ◽  
Vol 22d (3) ◽  
pp. 60-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Munro
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Aquatic Insects ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Scirpus Acutus ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Migration Data ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
North And South

Dafila acuta is an abundant transient through British Columbia following routes along the outer coast, the inner coast, and the main north and south river systems of the interior. The spring migration takes place during March and April and is not protracted but the autumn migration is one of successive movements from mid-August to early December. The largest flight sometimes appears on the mainland coast in late October. Both northbound and southbound flocks concentrate on the Coastal Plain. The chief wintering grounds are in western Oregon and in California, the most densely populated nesting grounds in Alaska. Recoveries of banded birds have verified observational migration data and have shown also that many individuals use the same route in successive years, some arriving at a given point on approximately the same date. In British Columbia the principal nesting ground is the parklands of the Cariboo region and the peak of the spring migration is in late March or early April. Following its conclusion the residual population is scattered over a wide area characterized by grassland and many types of ponds and sloughs. Courtship is at its height in April and laying commences in May. Nest sites usually are dry and may be several hundred yards from the nearest water. The majority of young appear in June and are led by the females to meadows and marshes provided with adequate cover. The females remain with the brood and actively defend them during adolescence. Males leave the females when incubation begins and gather in small bands on water adjacent to the nesting grounds. Many migrate in advance of the flightless period. Downy young feed largely on the larvae of aquatic insects. The most important item in the diet of adults during autumn and winter is seeds of various meadow and aquatic plants. On the coast this element is characterized by Polygonaceae and Scirpus americanus, in the interior by Potamogetons and Scirpus acutus. Insects and animal matter generally constitute a less important food. The pintail is second to the mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, in economic importance and like it is a source of revenue to the Province. On the debit side the pintail causes some loss to agriculture by eating forage crops but this is not extensive and is amenable to control.

Seasonal changes in spatial patterns and behavior of yearling male blue grouse on the breeding range

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 2777-2780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian G. Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Breeding Range ◽  
Dendragapus Obscurus ◽  
Radio Transmitters ◽  
And Behavior

Changes in spatial patterns and behavior of yearling male blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) equipped with radio transmitters were recorded during spring and summer, 1980 and 1981, on Hardwicke Island, British Columbia. Sizes of home ranges decreased and yearlings appeared to become less dispersed as the season progressed. Most birds moved off their initial home range and onto new areas on the breeding range by late summer although the timing of this movement varied among individuals. Interactions involving yearling males with females and territorial males decreased as the season advanced. Changes in spatial patterns and behavior appear to be related to seasonal changes in levels of hormones in yearling males.

Fate and behavior of five chlorinated hydrocarbons in three natural waters

1972 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 1393-1398 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Oloffs ◽  
L. J. Albright ◽  
S. Y. Szeto
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Natural Waters ◽  
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons ◽  
The Other ◽  
Uneven Distribution ◽  
Subtidal Zone ◽  
Untreated Water ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Fate And Behavior

Water samples removed from two rivers and from the subtidal zone of Georgia Strait in British Columbia were treated with either 0.025 ppm of DDT, lindane, α-chlordane, or γ-chlordane, or 0.1 ppm Aroclor 1260 (PCB). The samples were incubated in the laboratory for up to 12 weeks at the temperatures of these natural waters at the time of sampling. Lindane persisted in all water samples throughout the experiment, but large proportions of the other compounds were transported into the atmosphere during incubation except when the containers were sealed. No metabolic breakdown could be demonstrated. As demonstrated with 14C-γ-chlordane, uneven distribution of the pesticides occurred rapidly, but was prevented, or reversed, by addition of a surfactant to the water. Total bacterial counts were generally higher in treated than in untreated water samples.

Spring migration routes and chronology of surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata): a synthesis of Pacific coast studies

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (11) ◽  
pp. 1069-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.E.W. De La Cruz ◽  
J. Y. Takekawa ◽  
M. T. Wilson ◽  
D. R. Nysewander ◽  
J. R. Evenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Seasonal Effect ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Strait Of Georgia ◽  
Melanitta Perspicillata

Understanding interconnectivity among wintering, stopover, and breeding areas of migratory birds is pivotal to discerning how events occurring in each might have a cross-seasonal effect on another. Such information can guide the location and timing of conservation efforts. Thus, we examined spring migration routes, chronology, and stopover use of 85 surf scoters ( Melanitta perspicillata (L., 1758)) marked with satellite transmitters at four Pacific Flyway wintering sites: San Quintin Bay, Baja California; San Francisco Bay, California; Puget Sound, Washington; and Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Eighty-three percent of marked scoters followed two main routes to the breeding area: a Southern Inland route involving staging in Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia and protracted inland migration, or a Northern Coastal route characterized by short movements along the Pacific coast of British Columbia and southeast Alaska with inland migration initiating from Lynn Canal and surrounding areas. Route choice was related to nesting site latitude in the Canadian Northern Boreal Forest. Data from birds tracked over 2 years indicated strong migration route fidelity, but altered chronology and stopover locations between years. Departure date varied by wintering site, but arrival and apparent settling dates were synchronous, suggesting individuals adjusted migration timing to meet an optimized reproductive schedule.

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